I am writing an essay about my Great Grandma Mercier. She is ninety six years old. She is an amazing woman to me. Not only because of her age, but also because of the things she can still do. She is very healthy and has a great memory. She owns her own house and lives there by herself, except sometimes she rents the rooms to people traveling. She lives in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and has a huge yard that goes all the way around her house.

She still works, even at her age. She works for Meals on Wheels, in which she cooks food and delivers it to houses for people who can't cook for themselves. She definitely enjoys cooking for people because anytime she has company, she always feeds them. She makes her food completely from scratch. She bakes the most delicious pies and cookies all the time. She also knits stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, and warm slippers. She loves and collects butterfly stuff and any kind of flower or plant. Her favorite flower is called a Geranium.

She had ten children and adopted one girl named Anna. She was married at fifteen years old and stayed married for sixty eight years until her husband died. He died in 1994, which was before I was born, so I never got to meet my Great Grandpa. She has over thirty Grandchildren. Over forty Great-Great Grandchildren, and about nine Great-Great-Great Grandchildren. One of the reasons she has a great memory is she can tell you exactly how many and when each one was born.

We have huge Family Reunions every year called The Kirshner Connection. One year in 1996, I was the youngest person there and the oldest person was One hundred and two years old. I think my Great Grandma might live to be even older than that.

She drove a car until she was ninety two years old but now someone else drives for her job. She is also very religious. She is Catholic and goes to church every Sunday and midnight mass every Christmas. She grows a small garden every summer and also has many plants that she has taken good care for several years. She goes to many craft events and also works at a place called The Grange.

Her full name is Irene Myrtle Mercier. She was born November 12, 1907. She has survived three major heart attacks on her own. She want to die naturally without being resuscitated which means saved. She already has her gravestone next to her husband's.

Teacher: Denise Grady, Crosby Elementary School, Pittsfield

It's a Friday night. Some mothers are out to dinner with their families. Some are at the movies. Some are at relaxing at home. But not my mother. Deborah Zecher, unlike a whole lot of women in Berkshire County, is leading Shabbat evening services.

From about age thirteen (right after she had her bat mitzvah) my mom knew she wanted to be a rabbi. There were specific times when she could tell that it was her dream. "When I was in high school," says Rabbi Zecher, "the rabbi asked if there were any men who wanted to help with services. I wanted to, so I asked if I could help and the rabbi said yes. That was my first experience with leading services."

Deborah's parents and family were a big part of how she got to be rabbi. They were very active in the Jewish community. Her father ran the community' s Jewish newspaper. Going to services was something very important in Rabbi Zecher's family.

After majoring in near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University, my mom attended Hebrew Union College to become a rabbi. After years of work and studying, she was ordained as the 49th female rabbi.

Today, my mom is the rabbi at Hevreh of Southern Berkshires in Great Barrington. She has had such a huge impact on the synagogue in the twelve years she has been there. Before she came, the synagogue met in a house and with a lot of her help, the same synagogue meets in a beautiful, new building and a lot more families have joined.

Even when Rabbi Zecher first started working at synagogues, people weren't accustomed to having a woman rabbi leading services. When Rabbi Zecher was pregnant with her first son, Joshua, members of the congregation got a while new image of how things had changed. It was different, yet it as a positive difference. "It showed everyone that a rabbi is a person," she states, "and that a rabbi can be a mom."

There were many influences that got my mother to where she is today and to what she does. Her female role models include Rabbi Regina Jonas, the first female rabbi, ordained right before the Holocaust and later killed in a concentration camp, and Sally Prisend, who is the first American female rabbi. Rabbi Jack Stern is also one of Deborah's role models. He was her first senior rabbi and he was very welcoming and helpful in his role as her mentor.

There have been many times that Rabbi Zecher has enjoyed doing her job. She loves the fact that she can connect her love of Judaism and love of people by being a rabbi. It gives her pleasure to know that she is strengthening the Jewish community. She is a big part of making weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, baby namings, funerals and other occasions happen.

On the other hand, being a rabbi can be very difficult. Sometimes it is hard to have such an important job and be a mother at the same time. Rabbis help people when they are having a difficult time, but who helps rabbis when they are having trouble? Yes, it has got to be hard. But I have always thought that my mother has handled her own problems very well.

I look up to my mom for many reasons. First of all, I appreciate how she went ahead with a career that not many women had done. It shows that she can easily follow her heart. I also appreciate how my mom is so helpful and caring to anyone that needs help or advice. I am truly proud to be Deborah Zecher's daughter.

Teacher: Jack Passetto, Searles Middle School, Great Barrington

Being a secretary may not be considered very important. Most people's idea of a secretary is someone who sits behind the desk all day typing, filing, and answering the phone. Just dig beyond the duties stated in the job description and you will uncover admirable qualities. These are qualities that a real woman would possess. Susan Segala is one of the women.

Enter the L.S. Sullivan Elementary School front door at any time of day and a cheerful hello and a smile will greet you. Susan Segala would provide that greeting. Sue is the School's Clerical Para-Professional. That' s her official job title, however, secretary would be the term we are more familiar with. Sue was "born and bred in North Adams." I met Sue when I was very young. Our families are friends, and I also attended Sullivan.

Everyday Sue arrives at the school by 7:30 a.m. Besides the usual secretarial duties, Mrs. Segala fills in for the nurse when she eats lunch, performs light maintenance on the copiers and has been known to unplug the plumbing when stray objects have found their way into them. On show and tell days it's not uncommon to see her escorting pets to the classroom. If a classroom pet has a problem everyone knows that you ask Mrs. Segala about it first! "Originally I wanted to be a veterinarian but that didn't work out". That passion of caring for animals carries into her current job at times. She has been known to take care of classroom pets, taking them home during vacations. Even treating one of the pet rats when its paw was bleeding didn't bother her. The rat was patched up and everything was fine.

Mrs. Segala's care and concern for the students is demonstrated on a daily basis. Many of the students in every grade stop in her office for their routine hug and allotment of kind words and encouragement. Unfortunately, for many, it's the only, warmth, kindness and positive attention they have received since leaving school the day before. Some students just can't start their day unless they see her first. Sometimes all they need is a little attention and the feeling that someone cares. Susan always makes them feel like they're important. When the nurse is busy she doesn't hesitate to pitch in. "A smile and a hug works better than an ice pack most of the time, " replies Sue.

Even the adults in the building are drawn to Sue. Many times a teacher or staff person will be in her office seeking her advice or talking over an issue, certainly not in the job description. Since Susan has a lot of contact with parents, teachers sometimes talk to her to get some insight into what's going on in the student's life. Sue is also the keeper of all the schedules, such as, field trips, performances, visiting artists, etc. If anyone forgets or loses their schedules all they have to do is ask Sue. If you have a question just ask Mrs. Segala. If she doesn't know the answer, which doesn't happen very often, then she'll find out for you!

"I took the job when my son, Alex, entered kindergarten". Alex is now half way through the seventh grade. Mrs. Segala took the job because she would be on school hours, which would allow her to spend time with her children. She wanted to work but didn't want to sacrifice time with her family. This job gave her the best of both worlds. Now that her children are older she does the job because she like sit. "Kids these days have more to deal with. Many of them need a bit of TLC before they go to class, so I'm there for them. My role is not just a secretary, but a nurse, cheerleader, listener, and nurturer for these kids. One of my co-workers called me the glue that holds the kids and the workplace together".

Sue is the nicest, and most patient person you will ever meet. Everyday, on top of all the responsibility and chaos, she also deals with unhappy, upset, and irate parents. She stays calm and pleasant through it all, doing everything with a smile and spunk. "I value happiness, and fairness. It's awful to see young kids being picked on because they don't look or act a certain way. I feel that it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." With everything she does it's a shock that Mrs. Segala doesn't get overwhelmed. "I have a lot to do, but I try to keep my cool. My mom taught me values that carry over into my job. It is so important to stay calm and do what you have to do."

Believe it or not Sue actually has a life outside of school, and it's a busy one. "I love to bake, snowshoe, camp, refinish furniture, and walk the family's dog, Mario." She's a mom to son Alex, and daughter Maria, and a wife to husband Neil. "Family is everything to me. I love to be there for them." Being with her family and being a part of their life is what prompted her to take the job at Sullivan. Even though the pay wasn't much it enabled her to still spend time with her family.

Sue is not just your average secretary. She's an inspiring person. Everything she does is done with a smile. Her job doesn't end when the school bell rings. Even with all the commotion and hubbub, Sue works through it all. Always making sure to offer kindness and love to all she meets. She's as real as any woman could be.

Teacher: Karen L. Bedard, Drury High School, North Adams

Site hosted by CompuWorks and designed by Patton Linder Web Design